Opinion: Shouldn’t more be done to prepare new teachers?

We’ve all been inside a classroom, and there’s a good chance we’ve each had at least one teacher who wasn’t prepared for the task at hand, TakePart.com reports. For far too long, according to the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ), this trend has gone unnoticed by policymakers. In an effort to propel lawmakers into action, the organization put out a report entitled the 2012 State Teacher Policy Yearbook. It grades the country, and each state, on how well it prepares incoming teachers. America was given a D+ on teacher preparedness policies, and zero states were given an A. Alabama, Florida, Indiana, and Tennessee ranked at the top of the list, each receiving a B-. Alaska, Montana, and Wyoming received failing grades. The reports points out that only 24 states require a basic skills test when screening applicants. Also, it exposes how shockingly low standards are for elementary school teachers…